Rae Burrell provides spirit despite Sparks' nail biting loss
Holland Kaplan
Host · Writer
After the final buzzer rang on Tuesday night's loss to the New York Liberty, Rae Burrell gave the Los Angeles Sparks plenty of reason to believe better days are ahead.
In a back-and-forth battle, Burrell turned in one of the best games of her career, matching her career high with 24 points while adding three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Although the Sparks came up just short in a 113-109 loss, Burrell's aggressive play stood out from start to finish.
She attacked the basket with confidence, made plays in transition, and brought energy on the defensive end. Every time New York threatened to pull away, Burrell seemed to answer.
Head coach Lynne Roberts loved what she saw from the fifth-year guard, especially the way she responded after making mistakes.
"Rae was phenomenal attacking," Roberts said. "A couple times she had a turnover, she got both of them back. That's winning basketball. We didn't get the reward of the win, but I'm proud of the team."
For Burrell, though, the career night didn't mean much because it didn't end with a win.
"I just feel disappointed," Burrell said. "I obviously don't want to lose ever, so that just sucks."
Even after one of the best offensive performances of her career, Burrell's focus immediately shifted to what she could improve to help finalize those important last minutes in a game.
"I definitely want to clean up those turnovers," she said. "I was able to get them back, but I just want to take care of the ball better. Whatever my team needs from me, just staying aggressive."
Burrell also believes the All-Star break gave the Sparks exactly what they needed. After a difficult five-game losing streak pre All-Star, the team returned looking refreshed against one of the WNBA's best teams right now.
"I think everybody needed a reset," Burrell said. "That was the goal before we went on break, to come back ready to be the team that we want to be. We didn't get the result we wanted, but we definitely showed improvement."
That improvement showed up across the stat sheet. The Sparks recorded a franchise-record 35 assists, forced 18 Liberty turnovers that turned into 30 points, and shot better than 51 percent from the field. They simply ran into a New York team that made enough big plays down the stretch and ultimately more free throws to escape with the win.
The loss stung, but Burrell's performance was another reminder of how she has played at a different caliber this season. As the Sparks begin an important road trip, they'll be hoping Tuesday night wasn't just a career-high performance, but the start of something they can count on every game as the playoffs near.
